Fifth Third Bancorp Lowers Holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Fifth Third Bancorp reduced its stake in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 4.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 712,618 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 29,581 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $79,350,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in Walt Disney during the second quarter worth $32,000. Friedenthal Financial acquired a new position in Walt Disney in the 4th quarter worth about $49,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Birch Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $56,000. Finally, First PREMIER Bank grew its stake in Walt Disney by 98.1% in the 3rd quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 517 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the period. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walt Disney Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE:DIS opened at $112.25 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $112.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $99.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The Walt Disney Company has a 12-month low of $83.91 and a 12-month high of $123.74. The firm has a market cap of $203.28 billion, a PE ratio of 41.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.43.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.21% and a net margin of 5.44%. The business had revenue of $22.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.49 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.82 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. Walt Disney’s payout ratio is presently 36.90%.

Insider Activity at Walt Disney

In other news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total value of $917,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,054,870.70. This represents a 15.37 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total transaction of $42,667,242.84. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at $25,980,695.19. This represents a 62.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263 over the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Walt Disney from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $147.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $120.00 target price for the company. Rosenblatt Securities increased their price objective on Walt Disney from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $108.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.52.

Walt Disney Profile

The Walt Disney Company operates as an entertainment company worldwide. It operates through three segments: Entertainment, Sports, and Experiences. The company produces and distributes film and television video streaming content under the ABC Television Network, Disney, Freeform, FX, Fox, National Geographic, and Star brand television channels, as well as ABC television stations and A+E television networks; and produces original content under the ABC Signature, Disney Branded Television, FX Productions, Lucasfilm, Marvel, National Geographic Studios, Pixar, Searchlight Pictures, Twentieth Century Studios, 20th Television, and Walt Disney Pictures banners.